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Clinical Studies

Immunotherapy use in oesophagogastric cancers—a review of the literature

British Journal of Cancer volume 127, pages 21–29 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract are a leading cause of cancer-related death world-wide and historically have a poor prognosis. The incidence and histology of these cancers have varied temporally and geographically over the last three decades, with an emerging understanding of the differences in the molecular and genetic profiles across different subgroups. Management of oesophagogastric cancers is by a multidisciplinary team with utilisation of surgery, radiotherapy and systemic treatments in combinations where appropriate. Immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) has drastically changed the treatment landscape of multiple solid malignancies in the last 5 years. In oesophagogastric cancer, clinical trials have only recently shown activity that is often associated with the molecular characteristics of these tumours, in particular PD-L1 scores or microsatellite instability (MSI-H). This review looks to present the pivotal trials in this space, discuss the complexities between trials that may explain the disparate results and assess the benefit ICI offers in the treatment landscape at present.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville south, SA, Australia

    Annabel Smith, Vy Broadbridge & Timothy Price

  2. Flinders Centre For Innovation in Cancer, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, SA, Australia

    Amitesh Roy & Christos S. Karapetis

  3. Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia

    Amitesh Roy & Christos S. Karapetis

  4. University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Timothy Price

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AS: co-developed concept, analysis of data, manuscript writing, manuscript review. AR: analysis of data, manuscript writing, manuscript review. CK: analysis of data, manuscript writing, manuscript review. VB: analysis of data, manuscript writing, manuscript review. TP: co-developed concept, analysis of data, manuscript writing, manuscript review.

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Correspondence to Annabel Smith or Timothy Price.

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Smith, A., Roy, A., Karapetis, C.S. et al. Immunotherapy use in oesophagogastric cancers—a review of the literature. Br J Cancer 127, 21–29 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-022-01751-4

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